Arya is from the Sanskrit and Old Iranian ārya ("noble, honorable") — a word with deep usage across the Indo-Iranian world; modern Iran's official name Iran derives from this root. A top-150 US baby name since 2014, peaking at #122 in 2018. Arya Stark — *central character of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels (1996-present) and HBO's Game of Thrones (2011-2019), played by Maisie Williams (covered separately under Maisie); Arya's eight-season character arc — from young noblewoman to assassin who kills the Night King in the Battle of Winterfell — is widely cited as among the most-compelling character arcs in TV drama; the Battle of Winterfell episode "The Long Night" (2019) was watched by 17.8 million viewers; Williams was 14 when the show began and 22 when it ended. The name's surge from 2011 onward (entering the US top-1000 in 2010) is directly attributable to the show — one of the most-documented cases of TV influence on naming in modern US registries. Arya Stark of Winterfell also appears as a name choice for newborn girls across multiple international name registries. Arya is also a Hindu boys'/girls' name; the Sanskrit ārya gave the world Aryabhata* (5th-century Indian mathematician and astronomer).
Featured throughout fantasy literature and modern naming.
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Arya reduces to eight — the number of Game of Thrones seasons.